An Unlikely Name Has Led the Mississippi State Bullpen Turnaround

STARKVILLE, Miss. — Last year, the Bulldogs struggled on the mound, and it was not just bad but historically bad. They posted an overall team ERA of 7.01 and an SEC ERA of 9.54. 

It was the worst pitching staff in the conference and one of the worst in Mississippi State's program history. It was bad enough for pitching coach Scott Foxhall to be fired before the end of the season. Foxhall was a respected pitching coach and was a vital part of MSU's run to a National Championship in 2021. 

However, it was time to part ways with the former Auburn pitching coach, and Chris Lemonis had the challenging task of hiring his replacement. Lemonis took longer than expected to hire his replacement, but he eventually landed on South Carolina pitching coach Justin Parker. 

Parker did well in his time at Columbia but was inheriting a mentally and physically beat-up pitching staff. Confidence was an issue for this staff, and he would need to rely on four guys whose ERAs were over nine in conference play. 

Parker has done a tremendous job with this staff, as their team ERA in conference play so far this year is 4.68. The starting pitching has been a strength for this team all season with the duo of Khal Stephen and Jurrangelo Cijntje.

The pair was enough for the Bulldogs to be improved, but the lack of quality pitching in the backend of the bullpen cost them series at Ole Miss and Florida. State was clearly better than a season ago, but lacked a closer and it mightily cost them.

However, after a series sweep of Auburn, there were faint whispers of postseason baseball being back at Dudy Noble Field, and a guy many expected to transfer out from a season ago played a crucial part in that series. Tyson Hardin took his lumps a season ago and posted an ERA of 21.38 in conference play a season ago, but he pitched well in the Sunday doubleheader; he closed out game two against the Tigers and got the win in the series finale. 

"He was MVP of the day," Lemonis said. 

The Florida native is not the typical closer because his stuff is not overpowering, but he mixes his pitches well and gets a lot of groundouts. Hardin spoke on the adjustments he made with Parker in the offseason. 

"Just getting guys off the fastball, (throwing) sinkers, cutters," Hardin said. 

This team's trend all year has been its toughness, and Hardin is an excellent example because last year could have quickly shattered his confidence and made him question whether he was cut out for SEC play. However, the junior always believed in his abilities and the coaching staff. 

"Last year was hard," Hardin said. "I trust in myself and this coaching staff."

"They are tough," Lemonis said. "Our journey has not been easy." 

Hardin followed up on that success against Auburn in Nashville as the Bulldogs took on Vanderbilt. State had their backs against the wall after dropping game one 4-0, but they responded in game two. 

They jumped out to a 5-0 lead, but the Commodores stormed back to cut the lead to 5-3; Hardin came in and stopped the bleeding by only giving up a run in 1.1 innings of work. Game three was a game MSU had lost multiple times this year as they took a one-run lead after a Hunter Hines home run, and they needed three outs to clinch their first SEC road series. 

Evan Siary, Tyler Davis, and Nolan Stevens were all put in similar situations but failed to perform when the pressure was at its highest. The pressure was high, and a win would put MSU in an excellent position to host. Lemonis turned the ball over to Hardin, and he responded by getting three groundouts to end the game. 

"He has made a big jump," Lemonis said. "He is developing into one of the better relievers in our league."

Hardin also closed out the most recent Bulldog win, pitching a scoreless ninth inning in their 5-1 win over Ole Miss in Pearl. The toughness of this entire team has put them back into contention for the postseason, but Hardin's resiliency has his squad within arm's distance of hosting a regional. 

"I love this place, and I always wanted to come back, knowing they (coaching staff) had that trust in me, and I trust them," Hardin said.